12 Roommate Rules Everyone Should Abide By

09.28.16

Part of your responsibility as a roommate is working on keeping the peace. You and your roommate both need to make compromises and adjustments! To help you out, we listed 12 important roommate rules that everyone should follow.

1. Ask before you borrow.

Unless it was discussed ahead of time, you shouldn’t assume you’re close enough with your roommate to take their things without asking. They probably wouldn’t have the best reaction if they saw you sporting their favorite shirt without permission!

2. Replace anything you finish.

Imagine your roommate’s frustration when they go to reach for the roll of toilet paper and it’s completely empty. If you finish it, replace it!

3. Don’t leave food out.

Your roommate probably isn’t going to appreciate those moldy Ramen noodles that have been sitting on your desk. Plus, you don’t want to end up bringing bugs into your shared space!

4. Do your dishes.

There’s nothing more frustrating than passive aggressively letting dishes pile up in the sink until someone caves in and washes them! If you use a plate, you should clean it. It’s also a good idea to come to an agreement with your roommie about how long it’s okay to leave dirty dishes in the sink.

5. Give notice before you have guests.

It’s always polite to give your roommate a quick heads up before you bring a friend by the dorm. If you plan on having multiple guests or an over-night guest, make sure to bring this up in advance so you can be sure it’s okay!

6. Remember that your S.O. is not your roommate.

Speaking of guests, it’s awesome if your roommie is cool with your significant other staying over occasionally – but don’t abuse this! Your roommate didn’t sign up to live with your S.O., so make sure they’re not settling in with you every night.

7. Keep your showers brief.

Given you and your roommate share one bathroom, make sure you’re respectful with the amount of time you’re in the shower. Avoid hogging the shower for an hour when your roommate needs to get ready for class, and make sure not to use up all the hot water when you know your roommate will be showering after you.

8. Respect quiet time.

Slamming drawers and closet doors at the crack of dawn while your roommate is still sleeping is a definite no-no! Similarly, if your roommate is studying, be respectful and pop in some headphones instead of letting your music blast.

9. Follow the cleaning schedule.

Making a cleaning schedule is a great way to equally divide up any chores. Just remember, it’s part of your responsibility to follow it!

10. If the trash is full, take it out.

Although you might have a cleaning schedule that says it’s your roommate’s turn to take the trash out, you shouldn’t just leave an overflowing trash can until your roommate comes in from a long day of classes. If you see that it’s overflowing, take it out. Simple!

11. Don’t eat each other’s food.

If you and your roommate have a talk and decide it’s okay to share things like granola bars and condiments, that’s great! But if your roommate comes back from a big dinner with leftovers, they’re going to be a little irked when they want to finish their meal and it’s nowhere in sight. Permission is key here!

12. Take responsibility for lost or broken items.

So, your roommate was kind enough to lend you their phone charger and you accidentally broke the cord… What do you do? Your instinct might be to shove the charger back in their drawer and hope they don’t notice, but that’s only going to cause tension. Take responsibility and own up to your mistakes – accidents happen!

If you follow these basic rules, keeping the peace wont be hard! Do you have any more suggestions? Let us know your top roommate rules in the comments below.